RANGERS can today confirm the signing of Eva Hendle from Chelsea, on a season-long loan deal.
The 18-year-old becomes the seventh addition to Leanne Crichton’s squad this summer and will strengthen her options in the wide areas for the next 12 months.
A product of the London-based club’s youth academy having joined in 2021, Hendle made the move to the Blues at Under-14s level and has been an ever-present player during her time with her respective age groups since.
She has been a prolific goalscorer for the youth sides, recording 22 goals in 19 appearances across the past two campaigns.
In the most recent season gone by, the youngster featured for Chelsea’s Under-21s side, as she gained experience in youth football throughout.
Throughout 25/26, she stepped up into a leadership role in the club’s highest youth squad below first-team, with a notable highlight seeing her bag a hat-trick in a FAWNL Cup match against Maidenhead Women.
She started the last campaign on pre-season with the Chelsea first-team, featuring in a couple of friendly matches, including a second-half substitute appearance against Ajax on their respective training camp in the Netherlands.
Hendle has also excelled at various youth international levels for England, playing through various age groups from Under-15s all the way up to 19s during last season.
Then, most recently, the young winger was called up for her national team as she took part in a friendly tournament over in the United States of America with England Under-20s alongside now Gers teammate May Cruft, as they stepped up preparations for the U20 FIFA World Cup taking place in Poland in September.
The Young Lionesses participated in the three-match tournament across the Atlantic with the youngster featuring, ramping up preparations for their first match against Canada to come on September 5.
Predominantly a winger, the loanee will look to excite the Gers faithful with her tricks and unpredictable play down the channels, although she has operated in more central attacking areas for her nation at youth level.
Hendle will take the number 14 jersey with the Light Blues and step into senior football for the first time in her career, as Rangers prepare for the competitive action returning with their Women’s Champions League Round Two qualifier against SK Slavia Praha to come next Wednesday evening.
Speaking after joining the club on loan, she said: “I am really excited; it is a huge club with a great history, and I am buzzing to be a part of it.
“I was shocked; it happened quite quickly. I had a call with Donald and Leanne, and it was all really positive, and I just had a good gut feeling about it, and I went with it, and it has been good so far.”
Women’s Head Coach, Leanne Crichton said: “We're delighted to welcome Eva to Rangers for the season. She's a player we've been tracking closely, and we're excited to add someone with her quality, potential and mentality to our squad.
“Despite her young age, Eva has developed in an excellent environment at Chelsea, coming through their academy and has consistently shown her ability, whilst also earning recognition with England's youth national teams. She's a direct, attack-minded player who is comfortable taking on defenders and creating opportunities in the final third.
“This loan is a fantastic opportunity for Eva to continue her development in a competitive environment, and we're looking forward to helping her take the next step in her career to senior level. At the same time, we're confident she'll make a real impact for us and add another dimension to our attacking play.”
Women’s and Girls’ Managing Director Donald Gillies added: “We're thrilled to welcome Eva to Rangers and are pleased to have secured her on loan from Chelsea for the season.
“Bringing talented young players into our environment is an important part of our strategy, and Eva is someone we believe has the attributes to thrive at this football club. She has benefited from an outstanding development programme at Chelsea, and we're excited to provide her with the opportunity to continue that progress in a first-team environment.
“This move reflects the strong relationships we continue to build across the women's game, and we're grateful to Chelsea for their collaboration throughout the process.
“We're committed to creating an environment where ambitious young players can develop as we have seen in previous seasons and compete for honours and fulfil their potential. We're confident Eva will embrace that challenge and make a positive contribution to the squad over the course of the season.”
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